Ever the trend setter, Bainbridge Island’s own amphibian darling “Frog Rock” has inspired the upcoming Frogs on the Rock community art project. Organized by the Bainbridge Island Downtown Association (BIDA), the project invites individuals and businesses to sponsor local artists to paint and otherwise embellish large fiberglass frogs. These big specimens are 41 inches long and 20 inches high.
BIDA aims to have 25 frogs sponsored for prominent display around the Island. So, if you’re an artist with a vision, find a sponsor for your frog and apply. Or, if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of a fabulously festooned frog, find an artist or get help from BIDA to find one. Recommended artist stipends from sponsors are $200 and sponsorships are $1,000.
Frog sponsorships are open now, with some slots already full. An artist workshop for the project is scheduled for next month, on April 18 at 7 p.m. at the Winslow Art Center. The fiberglass frogs will arrive in time for a kick-off event at the May 18 Farmer’s Market in Winslow.
Finished frogs will be debuted at the July 4 parade and then displayed around the Island for a year, starting in September. Frog-finder maps will be available for people interested in taking froggy tours.
A year later, September 2014, the frogs will be auctioned off to the highest bidders, with proceeds benefiting the Downtown Association.
Interested? Contact Karin Lehotsky at 206-351-7334/karinphoto@mac.com or Nicole Niehaus at 206-384-1032/nikimama@me.com.
Photo courtesy of Tina Cachules.
The idea here is that (1) a business drops a $1,000 on a fiberglass frog, (2) that business then selects an artist who will decorate the frogs, and (3) they will be resold at an auction. As an artist, I feel this is an incredibly vapid and insulting project. Vapid because it's been done in hundreds of cities. There is NOTHING unique about this. The insult comes from the fact that artists are expected to do this for FREE. Any artist will tell you a project like this takes 20-40 hours. Then, they (BIDA) turn around and pocket all the money for themselves. Vapid and insulting.